Relief
by Starry Serenade
Summary: One-shot. Percy and Annabeth have made it out of Tartarus. While on the ship, Percy finds some time to make a call. "Show me Sally Jackson, Manhattan, New York." HOH SPOILERS


**Relief**

**One-shot. Percy and Annabeth have made it out of Tartarus. While on the ship, Percy finds some time to make a call. "Show me Sally Jackson, Manhattan, New York." HOH SPOILERS**

* * *

I sighed. Sure, I was ecstatic that Annabeth and I had made it out alive, and that all of our friends were okay too. But that didn't mean I couldn't feel guilty. Guilty that we had left Bob to sacrifice himself for us. Guilty that our friends almost died more times than usual to make sure we got out. Guilty that both Camp Jupiter and Half-Blood were preparing for war.

I wasn't as worried about those things, though (shocking and selfish, I know). I was worried about my mom, Sally Jackson. The last time I even had contact with her was when Hazel, Frank and I had a quick stop on our way to Alaska. Plus, all I could leave was a voicemail, since she and Paul Blofis, my stepdad, hadn't picked up.

Now though, now I could change that. Everyone else was on the deck of the ship, the Argo II, otherwise known as Leo's baby. Coach Hedge was most likely in his room, though, watching his kung-fu movies like usual.

I smiled for the first time in what felt like days. It was nice to be surrounded by people who don't want to kill me (most of the time). I really was grateful to everyone, though. They had all risked their lives on this trip. I stood up from my seat in my room and went downstairs to the lower level.

The lower level was beneath all of our cabins and the mess hall, and we mainly stored stuff down there. I needed to find something that I hoped would be in one of the many boxes in the storage room. I didn't have any drachmas on me, so I was hoping to find one down here.

When I reached the bottom level of the ship, I immediately ran over to the storage area we had. Inside were crates upon crates upon crates. Some were labeled, like _WARNING: HIGHLY EXPLOSIVE. _Some others were open and were spilling supplies like rope and screws. I walked around, trying to get a glimpse of a small gold coin. As I wandered aimlessly, I groaned and realized that I had to actually _look _inside the boxes. So, I began opening crates at random, coming up with random items like boots and Italian chips. I was about to leave when I saw the light reflecting off something.

"AHA!" I yelled as I held up the shiny golden drachma. It had been lying right next to the door the whole time. Typical. So, with my new treasure in hand, I raced upstairs to my room and closed the door. I strode over to the porthole decorating my sky blue wall and opened it.

I was greeted with a spray of mist, but I didn't mind, being a son of Poseidon and all. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and spoke.

"O Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering." I flipped the coin into the mist and it disappeared, shocking me slightly. I was surprised that Iris Messages were still working, what with the Gods battling their multiple personalities. "Show me Sally Jackson, Manhattan, New York."

The mist shimmered for a while, before showing me a picture of my living room in New York. There, on the couch, was my mom taking a nap. She looked exhausted, since she had bags under her closed eyes. My throat constricted, but I was _not _about to cry.

"Mom" I croaked. She turned over, but didn't wake up. "MOM." I tried again. This time, I was successful, and her eyes shot open. At first, she looked like she was thinking this was a dream, seeing her son's face for the first time in about a year. "Percy?" She said quietly. I nodded, smiling slightly, "Yeah mom, hi". She seemed to wake up fully, having mixed emotions. I was prepared for what happened next, though.

"PERSEUS JACKSON! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE BEEN? DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED PAUL AND I WERE?" I winced, and said "Sorry, mom. I've been kind of busy lately." My mom's eyes narrowed, and I shrunk back. Then, her eyes grew back to their normal size and tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh, Percy. I'm so glad you're safe." I smiled slightly, and rubbed my neck sheepishly. She went on, "When Paul and I heard your voicemail, we were worried that that was the last time we'd ever hear you again." I stood there, but realized that I had to hurry, since Iris Message sadly didn't last forever. "Okay mom. I'm okay, even though I just got back from Tartarus."

My eyes widened as I realized my mistake, and shock overcame her face. I quickly said "I'm fine now. Annabeth and I were only stuck down there for about two weeks. But I'm sorry we worried you so much and I just wanted to call to say that I'm fine. We're ALL fine." She smiled and said "I worried so much, Percy. Paul had to stay up with me until 4 AM sometimes to calm me down." She laughed, which was probably one of my favorite sounds in the world. "I know that we have to go soon, so I want to say how proud I am of you, Percy." I choked up, but managed to smile and say just as my mom's face was fading, "Bye mom. I love you. I'll see you soon." The mist dissipated, and I was left alone in my cabin, crying.

I sat down, wiped my tears off and smiled. I was going to see my mom again if it was the last thing I do. That sounded really sappy and cliché but hey, if the world might end in a week you would want the same. Fueled by a new resolve, I stood up and walked over to my door, opening it and striding down the hall to the stairs leading to the deck. I emerged from the inside of the ship with a smile on my face, striding over to Annabeth. I picked her up and spun her around, laughing. I have lives to fight for, and I sure wasn't going to go down without a fight.

* * *

**I liked the way this story came out tbh. I know it's a bit rushed though, so sorry about that. I'll work on this sometime soon :)**


End file.
